This invention relates to a carrying case and more particularly to a combination handbag and shopping bag.
Carrying cases having expandable capabilities for use in both normal purse requirements as well as shopping bag requirements, are well known. However, most such prior art carrying cases have severe limitations in that they either do not provide separate compartments for the two functions, or, where separate compartments are provided, they do not have a common access for the two compartments.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,412,007 describes one combined hand and shopping bag having a large size bag which is folded over along its substantial midpoint to form a second compartment within the folded over section. The second compartment, which is approximately one half the size of the bag itself, is utilized as the handbag. When the shopping bag use is desired, the bag is opened up and entry into the bag is available. However, with this arrangement, when the bag is opened up to its full length, the first compartment is completely eliminated, consequently all items retained therein must be removed before utilizing the shopping bag.
A similar arrangement is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,479.824 and 3,164,187. In both references, the smaller handbag compartment is no longer existing when the bag is opened up to make the shopping bag available. As a result, although the carrying case can be utilized for such two purposes, they cannot be utilized simultaneously as both a handbag and shopping bag, but only alternate usage of these two functions is available.
A different type of combination handbag and shopping bag is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,080. In this patent, there are effectively two separate compartments which are interconnected. A first of these compartments is collapsible and can be folded into a storage position against a side wall of the second compartment. A cover or flap connected to the second compartment can be utilized to enclose the folded first compartment when in its stored position. However, in this patent there are actually two separate compartments each with its own access. As a result, when the first compartment is expanded, the carrying case looks, acts, and in all ways constitutes two separate independent carrying cases which are merely interconnected. This provides an awkward and unaesthetic type of carrying case.